Recycling
Matters!

The subject of trash and
waste in our society, just like trash itself, will not go away without
concerted effort, research, planning and action. In this lesson students
will learn about the trash that surrounds them in the school environment
by viewing selected segments from Bill Nye the Science Guy, "Garbage" and
by conducting a waste audit. Students will also be able to define and discuss
the "3 R's" to recycling and will perform a WebQuest to discover recycling
facts and tips. As a final product, students will share their findings
with the school and the community by writing public service announcements.
Using a variety of techniques and technologies to become more aware of
the problems associated with trash, students will become better recyclers
and more consumers in
our society.

TEACHERS: Don't forget
to go to the really cool MPT/NTTI
site to see the online FULL lesson plan for Talkin'
Trash. There you will find more teacher resources and also the activity
that preceeds this WebPage activity. Also check out the awesome site by the Environmental Protection Agency about Garbage and Recycling!
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students should be able to:Define the "3 R's" of Recycling

Examine the trash issue in their own school

Examine the trash issue in their own home

Collect, categorize and graph trash that is found within
the school environment

Gather recycling resources and recycling facts from a
Research/Web Quest

Write a public service announcement highlighting one important
recycling fact

Create one recycling logo, poster, sculpture, or display,
etc. highlighting the utilization of the "3 R's" and/or a Recycling Fact.

Your task today is to find interesting recycling facts
using a variety of resources.First you will use the Internet links below using
the following links. After you have found 2 recycling facts, be sure
to note the URL or Web Address (it starts with http://www.) on your note
sheet for Electronic Source #1 and Electronic Source #2. Then follow the
directions below for the other facts found with other resources.The important thing to remember is to READ the information
first, decide upon its worth and importance and then WRITE the facts and
your notes afterwards.

Now that you have at least 2 facts from the Internet
(did you remember to note the URL?) go to either the CD-ROM encyclopedia,
nonfiction book, regular encyclopedia or the Magazine Database and find
out 2 more recycling facts. Don't forget to use search words such as:

recycling

garbage

waste

waste disposal

trash

pollution

Now that you have your recycling facts write your public
service announcement, or PSA. Here's an example of how it could begin:

Write an article or press release to the local newspaper,
informing them about school wide recycling efforts, the trash audit, the
slide shows, P.S.A.'sincluding digital photographs.

Write and illustrate a short story where you imagine you
manage your own supermarket. - What are some things you can do to reduce
the amount of waste caused by the products you sell?

Write and illustrate a short story where you imagine you
were hired to design packaging for a new product that featured an Earth
Friendly container.

Write a sales pitch for this new product.

Social Studies

Invite a recycling expert from a local city or county
environmental agency.

Write a pamphlet informing students/parents how they can
start implementing the "3 R's" in their house, yard and community.

Field Trip: Visit a local landfill, recycling center,
or water treatment facility learn what is being done in your community
and how you can help.

Math

Using the data gathered during the "Talkin' Trash Waste
Audit;" students can create a graph or spreadsheet.

Directions for The Crunchers ôStudent Graphing Activity:

1.Data table must have columns labeled.
2.You must have an area that describes total mass of trash in your data
table.
3.The graph you pick must be an appropriate graph.
4.All numbers in the data table must have the same amount of digits after
the
decimal point.
5.Create an additional column in your data table to list the percent of
that
type of trash in your sample.
6.Then, choose an appropriate graph to display the data.

Art

Design cars or other vehicles from recyclable materials.
Polystyrene leftover boxes, paraffin covered milk cartons or soda cans.
Have a race with the end results.

Design and create sculptures with recyclable materials
to promote the concepts of reduce, reuse and recycle. Display them in the
lobby of your school or in the Media Center.

Illustrate a story (see above) that you have written about
recycling or the "3 R's"

This site was created by Gwyneth
Anne Jones, Media Specialist with the cooperation of Mrs. Shelley Heinz,
Science Team Leader and Ms. Dianne P. Wells, GT Resource Teacher for the
assignment entitled:Talkin'
Trash!